Storrs — UConn's players and coaches adopt a Bill Belichick-type approach whenever asked about last year’s dismal season.

The Huskies rather look ahead than backward.

"Last year is last year,” redshirt junior Tyler Coyle said. “This year is a new year. That’s the mindset we’re going into it with. ... We’re focusing on this year.”

You can’t blame the Huskies given the train wreck that was last season. Only one win and eight losses of 30 points or more as well as a historically bad defense.

So it’s on to 2019.

The 2019 season begins Thursday when UConn hosts Wagner at 7 p.m. at Rentschler Field in East Hartford.

Expectations remain low with the Huskies still operating with a young roster and newcomers at some key positions, including quarterback. They were picked to finish last in the American Athletic Conference’s East Division in the preseason media poll. It is their last year in the conference as they become an independent next season when UConn moves to the Big East.

It will be very tough for the Huskies to avoid a ninth straight losing season.

But they expect to be more competitive.

As coach Randy Edsall pointed out during the offseason: “Can’t get any worse, can it?”

Edsall sees improvements in areas like attitude, work ethic and commitment level. There’s been an upgrade in talent but still far from where it needs to be. Forty-three percent of the roster is comprised of freshmen and redshirt freshmen. Several underclassmen benefited from their playing time last season.

“I like the attitude and the focus of these guys,” Edsall said. “They’re working and they’re doing the things we want done. We still have a lot of work to do yet to get where we actually want to get. … It’s really enjoyable being around these guys. You like coming to work. You like what these guys bring. They’ve got some personality to them.

“You can joke with them and they’ll joke back with you. … That reminds of a lot of the guys that were here before. They get it and understand it.”

The players also have noticed positive changes that they believe will translate to success on the football field.

“It’s crazy because it’s a different team compared to last year and it’s a different vibe,” said redshirt sophomore Luke Magliozzi, a team captain. “Everyone is knuckling down and doing what’s expected. … It feels like it’s us against the world right now. We have to keep putting all the pieces together and get everyone to do the right things. We’re going to shock some people, I can tell you that. I definitely know that.”

Playing Wagner, a Football Championship Subdivision program, is a good way to start.

The Huskies are 16-1 against FCS teams since 2002.

A member of the Northeast Conference, the Seahawks are coming off a 4-7 season and have never beaten a Football Bowl Subdivision team. They’re working with a new quarterback in transfer Christian Alexander-Stevens who won a bowl game while at Florida International University. Only three offensive starters return while six are back on defense, including five of the front seven.

“Looking forward to Thursday night,” Edsall said. “Guys will be ready to go, eager to go. Hopefully we can go out and execute at a high level.”

At this stage, the Huskies can’t afford to overlook any opponent, especially after narrowly beating FCS foe Rhode Island 56-49 last season for their only win.

The opener will be the debut of two new coordinators in Frank Giufre (offense) and Lou Spanos (defense) as well as several new Huskies, including graduate transfer Michael Beaudry who’ll start at quarterback.

Beaudry, who led West Florida to the Division II national title game in 2017, will be behind a veteran offensive line and deep running back corps but working with an unproven receiving unit.

He feels good about the team’s energy and enthusiasm.

“People work hard and we’re driven,” Beaudry said. “Obviously, I wasn’t here with them last year, but you can get that feel that nobody wants it to be the same. There’s a lot of young guys stepping up and being more mature.”

Defensively, the Huskies are determined to be far better than last year when they set NCAA records for most points (50.4) and most yards (617.4) allowed per game.

“Everyone in this defensive room has that chip on their shoulder to be different than last year,” said linebacker D.J. Morgan, a graduate transfer. “We all know what happened last year. The guys that were here last year tell me all the time how different things are now. We’re more confident going into the first week than last season.”

g.keefe@theday.com